Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Diagnosis Update

cmc811

Recommended Posts

cmc811 Apprentice
cmc811
Posted

On Friday my GI doctor sent me a message saying my biopsy was equivocal (Marsh I). I sent a whole list of questions about how many biopsies were taken, possibility of damage being missed, next steps to rule out other causes of positive tTg and increased lymphocytes, what is means for screening my kids, etc.I also let her know that at only 1 week gluten free my GI symptoms are MUCH better. I was/am having symptoms beyond GI and those have improved but I imagine they will continue to get better. Right now I know I'm being cross-contaminated despite being careful because I am purposely still feeding my kids gluten until their testing is completed.

 

I just got an email back from her. Although I didn't get all my questions answered she answered the important one which was "Would you call it Celiac?" Her response:

 

Even though the biopsies were equivocal, I would say you do have celiac disease since you feel significantly better by avoiding gluten and the slightly positive TTG.
TTG is very specific so it's positive, it means that the patient usually has celiac disease but it is not 100% sensitive so it can miss cases. If you son is symptomatic but has a negative TTG, I would recommend seeing a pediatric gastroenterologist and discuss getting small bowel biopsies.

I will send you a result letter with the final pathology report.
I will have my staff mail you the procedure report.

 

In response to asking for the pathology, this is what she sent which seems unlikely to be the whole thing:

Results:

FINAL DIAGNOSIS:

Duodenum, Endoscopic Biopsies:
Slightly increased numbers of intraepithelial lymphocytes,
significance uncertain, no villous atrophy or crypt hyperplasia.
No parasites or acute inflammation.
No atypical cellular infiltrates or granulomata.

 

Shouldn't there be more to the pathology report? I will be receiving the procedure report that should better explain how many biopsies and such were taken, but I think that is what I'm getting as far as pathology.

 

Anyway, this should FINALLY give me some ammunition to get my kids properly tested and for that I'm very thankful :)

 

 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted

I'm glad that you're getting some answers!

 

It seems that very little with celiac testing is black and white/foolproof, so I'm glad that your doctor realizes that it's possible to miss the damage when doing a biopsy. 

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. NanceK
      - NanceK replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      9

      My only proof

      Oh wow! Thanks for this information! I’m going to try the Benfotiamine again and will also add a B-complex to my supplements. Presently, I just take sublingual B12 (methylcobalomin). Is supplementation for celiacs always necessary even though you remain gluten-free and you’re healing as shown on endoscopy? I also take D3, mag glycinate, and try to get cal...
    2. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Hmart's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      13

      Is this celiac?

      @Hmart, The reason why your intestinal damage was so severe, yet your tTg IgA was so minimal can be due to cutting back on gluten (and food in general) due to worsening symptoms. The tTg IgA antibodies are made in the intestines. While three grams of gluten per day for several weeks are enough to cause gastrointestinal symptoms, ten grams of gluten...
    3. Trish G
      - Trish G replied to Trish G's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      10

      Fiber Supplement

      Thanks, that's a great addition that I hadn't thought of.
    4. trents
      - trents replied to Hmart's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      13

      Is this celiac?

      Other diseases, medical conditions, medications and even (for some people) some non-gluten foods can cause villous atrophy. There is also something called refractory celiac disease but it is pretty uncommon.
    5. trents
      - trents replied to kpf's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      15

      ttg iga high (646 mg/dl) other results are normal

      knitty kitty asks a very relevant question. So many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even a reduced gluten diet soon before getting formally tested.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,351
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    blacksilkroses
    Newest Member
    blacksilkroses
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • NanceK
      My only proof

      By NanceK · Posted

      Oh wow! Thanks for this information! I’m going to try the Benfotiamine again and will also add a B-complex to my supplements. Presently, I just take sublingual B12 (methylcobalomin). Is supplementation for celiacs always necessary even though you remain gluten-free and you’re healing as shown on endoscopy? I also take D3, mag glycinate, and try to get calcium through diet. I am trying to bump up my energy level because I don’t sleep very well and feel fatigued quite often. I’m now hopeful that adding the Benfotiamine and B-complex will help. I really appreciate your explanation and advice! Thanks again Knitty Kitty!
    • knitty kitty
      Is this celiac?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Hmart, The reason why your intestinal damage was so severe, yet your tTg IgA was so minimal can be due to cutting back on gluten (and food in general) due to worsening symptoms.  The tTg IgA antibodies are made in the intestines.  While three grams of gluten per day for several weeks are enough to cause gastrointestinal symptoms, ten grams of gluten per day for for several weeks are required to provoke sufficient antibody production so that the antibodies move out of the intestines and into the blood stream where they can be measured in blood tests.  Since you reduced your gluten consumption before testing, the antibody production went down and did not leave the intestines, hence lower than expected tTg IgA.   Still having abdominal pain and other symptoms this far out is indicative of nutritional deficiencies.  With such a severely damaged small intestine, you are not absorbing sufficient nutrients, especially Thiamine Vitamin B 1, so your body us burning stored fat and even breaking down muscle to fuel your body.   Yes, it is a very good idea to supplement with vitamins and minerals during healing.  The eight essential B vitamins are water soluble and easily lost with diarrhea.  The B vitamins all work together interconnectedly, and should be supplemented together.  Taking vitamin supplements provides your body with greater opportunity to absorb them.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins cannot be stored for long, so they must be replenished every day.  Thiamine tends to become depleted first which leads to Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a condition that doctors frequently fail to recognize.  Symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi are abdominal pain and nausea, but neuropathy can also occur, as well as body and joint pain, headaches and more.  Heart rhythm disruptions including tachycardia are classic symptoms of thiamine deficiency.  Heart attack patients are routinely administered thiamine now.   Blood tests for vitamins are notoriously inaccurate.  You can have "normal" blood levels, while tissues and organs are depleted.  Such is the case with Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a thiamine deficiency in the digestive tract.  Eating a diet high in carbohydrates, like rice, starches, and sugar, can further deplete thiamine.  The more carbohydrates one eats, the more thiamine is required per calorie to turn carbs into energy.  Burning stored fats require less thiamine, so in times of thiamine shortage, the body burns fat and muscles instead.  Muscle wasting is a classic symptoms of thiamine deficiency.  A high carbohydrate diet may also promote SIBO and/or Candida infection which can also add to symptoms.  Thiamine is required to keep SIBO and Candida in check.   Thiamine works with Pyridoxine B 6, so if Thiamine is low and can't interact with Pyridoxine, the unused B 6 accumulates and shows up as high.   Look into the Autoimmune Protocol diet.  Dr. Sarah Ballantyne is a Celiac herself.  Her book "The Paleo Approach" has been most helpful to me.  Following the AIP diet made a huge improvement in my symptoms.  Between the AIP diet and correcting nutritional deficiencies, I felt much better after a long struggle with not feeling well.   Do talk to your doctor about Gastrointestinal Beriberi.  Share the article linked below. Thiamine, gastrointestinal beriberi and acetylcholine signaling https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12014454/ Keep us posted on your progress!
    • Trish G
      Fiber Supplement

      By Trish G · Posted

      Thanks, that's a great addition that I hadn't thought of. 
    • trents
      Is this celiac?

      By trents · Posted

      Other diseases, medical conditions, medications and even (for some people) some non-gluten foods can cause villous atrophy. There is also something called refractory celiac disease but it is pretty uncommon.
    • trents
      ttg iga high (646 mg/dl) other results are normal

      By trents · Posted

      knitty kitty asks a very relevant question. So many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even a reduced gluten diet soon before getting formally tested.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.